Clippers Sign DeMarcus Cousins To Second 10-Day Contract
The Clippers have officially re-signed DeMarcus Cousins, announcing today that the big man has inked a second 10-day contract with the team.
Cousins, 30, started the season with the Rockets but was released in February as Houston shifted into retooling mode. He signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers earlier this month and appeared in three games in his first 10 days with the team, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in just 9.7 minutes per contest.
Cousins will earn $175,668 on his second contract with Los Angeles, while the team takes on a $110,998 cap hit. The deal will cover L.A.’s next five games, including tonight’s contest in Philadelphia.
With Cousins back under contract, the Clippers once again have a full 15-man roster, though only 13 of those players are on full-season deals — Cousins and Malik Fitts are on 10-day pacts.
Fitts could be re-signed to a second 10-day contract when his first one expires this weekend. However, when Cousins’ new deal expires, the Clippers will have to either let him go or sign him for the rest of the season. At this point, a rest-of-season contract seems like the most likely outcome, but we’ll have to see how the next 10 days go.
USC’s Evan Mobley Enters 2021 NBA Draft
One of 2021’s top prospects, USC big man Evan Mobley, confirmed today that he’s entering the NBA draft and will go pro after a single season with the Trojans (Twitter link).
Mobley, who will turn 20 in June, averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks with a .578 FG% in 33 games (33.9 MPG) for USC in 2020/21. The seven-footer was a Consensus All-American who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.
Mobley is part of the top tier of prospects in this year’s draft class, ranking No. 2 on ESPN’s big board. He’ll likely receive consideration to be the first player off the board in July and is extremely unlikely to fall further than fourth or fifth overall.
As Jonathan Givony notes in his profile of Mobley at ESPN.com, the big man has an “ideal physical profile” for the NBA level and has the potential to be an elite rim protector. While he only knocked down 30% of his three-point attempts as a Trojan, Mobley has the “touch and mechanics” to improve that rate at the NBA level over time, says Givony.
Our running list of early entrants for the 2021 NBA draft can be found right here.
Pistons, Grizzlies, Thunder Carrying Most 2020/21 Dead Money
All 30 of the NBA’s teams are carrying some sort of “dead money” on their respective books for the 2020/21 season. Dead money is the guaranteed salary paid or owed to a player who is no longer under contract with the team.
In some cases, teams are carrying cap hits for players whom they released several years ago. That’s the case in Indiana, for instance, where the Pacers have a $2,245,400 cap charge for Monta Ellis this season, despite cutting him way back in July of 2017.
In other situations, the dead money is a result of having waived a player more recently. The Pistons, for example, created this season’s single largest dead money cap hit when they bought out Blake Griffin, who is still counting for $32,670,565 against Detroit’s team salary in ’20/21.
Other dead money charges are far more modest. For instance, expired 10-day contracts technically count as dead money, but none of those are worth more than $110,998.
While some teams will add a little more dead money to their caps in the coming weeks when 10-day deals expire or certain players are released, it’s safe to assume that nearly all of this season’s most significant cuts have already been completed. With that in mind, we’re taking a look below at the teams carrying the most dead money for 2020/21.
Carrying a substantial amount of dead money doesn’t necessarily indicate that a club has managed its cap poorly. For instance, the Thunder and Knicks, two of the teams near the top of the list below, have the two smallest team salaries in the NBA this season.
Because they haven’t had any hard-cap or luxury-tax concerns, Oklahoma City and New York could comfortably afford to waive multiple players with guaranteed salaries in order to make room for new players, without worrying about the associated costs. The Thunder have certainly done that — their $36MM in overall dead money comes from 12 different players.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Warriors and Clippers are among the teams with the least amount of dead money on their books, which makes sense too. Golden State will have the league’s highest tax bill, while L.A. has been up against a hard cap for much of the season, so both teams have wisely avoided making any major commitments to players who won’t finish the season on the roster.
Here’s the full list of 2020/21 dead money by team, as of April 16:
- Detroit Pistons: $38,806,272
- Memphis Grizzlies: $36,052,708
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $35,926,004
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $30,396,254
- San Antonio Spurs: $24,804,677
- New York Knicks: $20,260,505
- Sacramento Kings: $9,655,830
- Charlotte Hornets: $9,043,478
- Los Angeles Lakers: $7,599,241
- Toronto Raptors: $6,818,018
- Houston Rockets: $6,017,104
- Miami Heat: $5,564,670
- Milwaukee Bucks: $5,034,894
- Portland Trail Blazers: $4,757,775
- Orlando Magic: $4,268,128
- Washington Wizards: $4,222,815
- Indiana Pacers: $3,862,401
- Denver Nuggets: $2,000,000
- Philadelphia 76ers: $1,642,981
- Brooklyn Nets: $1,635,825
- Note: This figure doesn’t include LaMarcus Aldridge‘s $554,988 cap hit, since he remains on the roster, for now, after announcing his retirement.
- Note: This figure doesn’t include LaMarcus Aldridge‘s $554,988 cap hit, since he remains on the roster, for now, after announcing his retirement.
- Dallas Mavericks: $1,620,564
- Boston Celtics: $1,131,937
- New Orleans Pelicans: $1,054,478
- Phoenix Suns: $785,285
- Utah Jazz: $770,433
- Atlanta Hawks: $744,684
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $685,340
- Golden State Warriors: $666,667
- Los Angeles Clippers: $110,998
- Chicago Bulls: $97,261
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Sign Devin Cannady To Two-Way Deal
Former Princeton guard Devin Cannady is back under contract with the Magic, as the team announced today in a press release that Cannady has rejoined the roster on a two-way contract.
Cannady signed a 10-day deal with Orlando on April 6, but the team ended that contract early in order to make room for another 10-day signing, Donta Hall. Since the Magic waived two-way player Karim Mané around the same time, there was an expectation that Cannady might be brought back to fill the two-way slot formerly held by Mané. Now it’s official.
[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
Undrafted in 2019, Cannady has spent most of his first two professional seasons in the G League. After playing for the Long Island Nets as a rookie, he joined the Magic for training camp in December, then suited up for Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, during the 2020/21 “bubble” season.
Cannady’s regular season numbers in 13 games (25.8 MPG) for Lakeland were relatively modest, as he averaged 11.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.7 APG. However, the 24-year-old knocked down 40% of his three-point attempts and played a key part in the Magic’s postseason run, scoring 22 points in the team’s NBAGL championship win to earn Finals MVP honors.
During his abbreviated 10-day contract with Orlando, Cannady saw limited action in three games, scoring 14 points in 13 total minutes. He and fellow point guard Chasson Randle are now the Magic’s two-way players.
L.A. Notes: Davis, Gasol, Cousins, Rondo
Lakers star Anthony Davis has been cleared to participate in full-contact practices and is close to returning to action, head coach Frank Vogel told reporters on Thursday (link via ESPN’s Dave Mcmenamin).
The eight-time All-Star, who has been dealing with a right calf strain and tendinosis, has now been sidelined for over two months, having last played on February 14. According to Vogel, Davis is unlikely to suit up for either of the Lakers’ games against Utah on Saturday and Monday, but the head coach didn’t entirely rule out that possibility, McMenamin writes.
When Davis does return, the plan is to incorporate him back into the lineup slowly, beginning with a playing-time limit in the 15-minute range, per Vogel.
“Whenever it is that he returns, it’s not going to be a full return to playing 30-something minutes a night,” Vogel said. “Especially with the nature of practice and how shorthanded we are, he’s going to have to use some games to try to get himself back in shape. So the first two games he’s back will likely be short-minute performances.”
Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:
- Lakers center Marc Gasol sustained a volar plate fracture in his left pinky finger on Thursday, but he may not miss much – or any – time, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group, who tweets that Gasol has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s game vs. Utah. “It’s my left hand, I don’t use it much anyways,” Gasol said. “So we’ll see.”
- Before DeMarcus Cousins‘ 10-day contract with the Clippers expired on Wednesday night, head coach Tyronn Lue said the team was looking forward to continuing on with the veteran center, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. The Clippers didn’t re-sign Cousins to a new deal on Thursday, so we’ll see if they do so today before tonight’s game in Philadelphia.
- The Clippers paid a high price at the trade deadline for Rajon Rondo (Lou Williams, two second-round picks, and cash), but the veteran point guard has made that deal look like a smart one so far, as Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group details. Since Rondo made his debut on April 4, L.A. is 7-0 and has a staggering +32.0 net rating when the 35-year-old is on the court.
Zach LaVine Enters Protocols, Expected To Miss Multiple Games
APRIL 16: LaVine entered the health and safety protocols after registering a positive coronavirus test, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Assuming it wasn’t a false positive, that means the All-Star guard will likely miss at least a couple weeks or so.
APRIL 15: Bulls star Zach LaVine is expected to miss several games after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Wojnarowski’s report comes on the heels of the Bulls’ PR department announcing that the team had to call off Thursday’s practice due to the protocols, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Since there’s an expectation that LaVine will miss multiple games, it sounds like he either came into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or registered a positive test himself.
It’s bad timing for the Bulls, who have lost four consecutive games – and 10 of their last 13 – as they attempt to hang onto a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. The 22-32 club holds the No. 10 seed for now, but is just one game ahead of the Raptors and Wizards, and two games ahead of the Cavaliers.
Assuming they’re not affected by the protocols, Tomas Satoransky, Coby White, Garrett Temple, and Denzel Valentine are among the players who could see a bump in minutes with LaVine unavailable.
Southeast Notes: Reddish, Wizards, Bamba, Gafford
Hawks swingman Cam Reddish has recovered from his right Achilles soreness enough to incorporate on-court spot shooting and straight line running this week, per an official team press release.
The Hawks noted in the release that they will reevaluate Reddish’s progress in two weeks. The second-year wing out of Duke has appeared in 26 games for Atlanta this season, averaging 11.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.3 APG.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards will allow 2,100 fans (10% of crowd capacity) back into the Capital One Arena starting on April 21 when they host the Warriors, according to an official team press release. The Wizards will employ COVID-19 precautions as they let fans back onto their home floor for the first time this season, including “health screenings, mobile-only tickets, and seating pods.” There will be seven remaining regular season home games that will allow for fan attendance.
- Magic center Mo Bamba, the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA draft, is firmly behind new addition Wendell Carter Jr., the No. 7 pick in the same draft, in Orlando’s rotation. Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes that Bamba’s rookie-scale contract expires after the 2021/22 season, and that for him to stake out a long-term future with the Magic, he will need to significantly improve his fitness.
- As he works his way back from an ankle injury, new Wizards center Daniel Gafford may earn the starting nod for Washington by the end of the year, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “There are definitely possibilities of [him starting], but right now there are minutes restrictions,” head coach Scott Brooks indicated. Gafford is currently limited to about 16 minutes per night.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Raptors, Knicks, Faried, Chiozza
Though the Nets certainly wouldn’t mind being the top seed in the Eastern Conference, what matters most to them is player health, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The Nets are currently the second seed in the East with a 37-18 record, one game behind the 38-17 Sixers and 2.5 games ahead of the Bucks.
All-Stars Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have appeared sparingly together as each player has missed time due to various injuries and personal reasons.
“Health is everything,” head coach Steve Nash noted. “It’d be great to have the No. 1 seed — I think it means a lot, it’s valuable — but not at the expense of losing players or prolonging our injury situation.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca wonders about the recent past and current trajectory for the Raptors if Toronto had never traded franchise stalwart DeMar DeRozan for 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who departed for the Clippers in free agency after leading the Raptors to a title during his lone season in Canada.
- With injured center John Henson not expected to be re-signed to a second 10-day contract, the Knicks are considering other veteran big men for the newly-opened roster spot, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman reports that one option on New York’s radar is 31-year-old power forward Kenneth Faried, who most recently suited up for the Zhejiang Lions of the CBA in 2019.
- Nets head coach Steve Nash appreciates that the team has had to adjust creatively to various absences. “We may not get any games with our whole roster,” Nash conceded, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I don’t want to worry about or be concerned about things that are out of our control.” The club has employed 29 different starting lineups this season. Nash also acknowledged that, following a surgery on a fractured third metacarpal of his right hand, two-way Brooklyn point guard Chris Chiozza will be unavailable “basically for the regular season.”
Wiseman Out Rest Of Season After Meniscus Surgery
The rookie season of Warriors center James Wiseman, the second pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is officially over. Wiseman went under the knife for surgery today in Los Angeles to address a right meniscal tear, the team announced in a tweet.
The Warriors, who confirmed that Wiseman will miss the remainder of the 2020/21 season, will supply an update for Wiseman’s recovery timeline in September. The club expects him to return in ’21/22.
Reports emerged on Sunday (as we relayed) that the 20-year-old big man did indeed suffer a meniscus tear and could be in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season as Golden State made a push for a play-in tournament appearance. He will finish his first NBA season out of Memphis having appeared in 39 games, including 27 starts.
The seven-footer posted averages of 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG on 51.9% shooting from the floor across 21.4 MPG. Head coach Steve Kerr has opted to sub in veteran big man Kevon Looney as the Warriors’ starting center.
Giannis Returns From Knee Injury Thursday
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has revealed that All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is available for Milwaukee’s contest with the Hawks on Thursday night, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. This will be Antetokounmpo’s first appearance following a six-game absence due to left knee soreness.
Antetokounmpo has not played for the Bucks since the team’s 127-109 win over the Trail Blazers on April 2. The Bucks went 3-3 with their two-time MVP sidelined.
Milwaukee played the do-it-all superstar’s health status close to the chest, staying mum on an exact timeline for his recovery from what has been the longest-term injury of Antetokounmpo’s eight-year NBA career.
The five-time All-Star is putting together another MVP-caliber season, averaging 28.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG and 6.2 APG for the 34-20 Bucks, currently the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.